Friday, September 25, 2015

This is a revised version of a previous post.
In Australia most schools are closed for a short spring break. There is a good chance that many readers will
find themselves in cars or buses with children at some stage. Or some in the Northern Hemisphere will be just weeks away from winter weather that will keep children indoors. Here are some alternatives to more screen time.

While we have videos in cars, ipods for personalized music and
varied tablets that allow children to play games individually, no trip
would be complete without some group games. Don't avoid them! They're
fun, they teach and they are good for families.

In this post I feature some excellent language games that can be easily played in
the car on long (or short) journeys. Many of them could also be played
in a bus, or in some cases, a train. I've tried to keep the ideas simple
and adaptable for use with children of varied ages. They are fun and teach as well.

I've included a
number of games that we played with our children in the car when they
were young, some I used when teaching and a few new ones that I'd love
to play with my grandchildren. Most of the new ones are adaptations of
some activities from a great resource published by Usborne Children's
books, '50 things to do on a journey' (here).
This great resource has a range of written and verbal activities that
cover literacy, mathematics and general knowledge. One thing to note about these games is
that you don't have to play every one of them competitively. If you do,
you might need to handicap older children.

1. Sound word categories

You
start this game by agreeing on 3-5 categories (depending on the age of
the children and their vocabularies) for which people will have to be
able to think of words that belong to them; for example, an insect,
flower, person, country, girl's name, action word. Someone chooses a
letter (maybe Mum or Dad to make sure that it isn't too hard) that has
to be used by everyone and is applied to each category. The fastest
person to quickly name their words earns 3 points, the second gets 2 and
the third 1. So for the letter 'f' and the three categories insect,
country and girl's name you could say fly, France and Fiona. A parent
usually acts as the timer.

2. Top 6 (or 10 if your children get to be good at it)

This
activity is a variation on the previous 'Sound Word Categories'. You
vary it by choosing a category and then seeing if someone can list 6-10
words that fit the category. For example, think of 10 car names, dogs,
books, insects, snakes, footballers etc. The person who thinks of the
most words in a category wins.

3. Rhyming words

Pick
a word that is easy to rhyme with other real words. Each person takes a
turn. The winner is the person who is the last one to think of a
rhyming word. For example, heat, seat, meat, bleat, sleet, neat,
pleat..... If the children are older they can write the words down
simultaneously.

4. Don't say yes

This
is a slightly harder game but lots of fun. One person has to answer
questions and the others get to ask them questions to which the answer
is obviously 'yes', but they must answer every question truthfully
without saying 'yes'. If they do say 'yes', or can't answer, the turn
ends and the person asking the question earns a point. For example,
Karen is asked, "Do you like ice-cream"? To which she might answer, "Most people like milk-based products that are cold." The next person in the car asks a question, but it mustn't be simply the same question. For example, they could ask, "Do you like milk-based products in cones?" To which the reply might be, "Some I like to eat in a wafer case."

5. Spotto......

One
of our family's favourite games in the car was 'Spotto windmill'. We
lived in the country and often drove for 5-6 hours towards the coast. In
key areas there were lots of windmills pumping water for stock. But you
don't have to use windmills; you can spot billboards, bridges, trees,
birds, and animals, almost anything that is common. The game can be
concluded in various ways, such as the first to 30, ending it at a
specific landmark or just stopping when you're tired of it or you run
out of windmills (or whatever).

6. What's your job

This
game starts with someone thinking of a job. Others then guess by trying
to find out details about what the person does, where they work, they
use tools, what skills you need etc. The skill is in asking just the
right questions. Does this person work outdoors? Do they drive
something? Do they use special tools? Can they work alone? etc. The aim
is to see who can get it right. Every person in the car takes it in
turns to ask a question and you keep rotating until someone gets it
right. That person gets to pick the next job and it all starts over
again.

7. Guess my song

Someone
picks a song and they have to hum the first line. Everyone in the car
has one guess then the person hums an extra line if no-one gets it after
the first round. This continues until someone gets the song.

8. Guess the person

One
person in the car thinks of a person everyone knows (e.g. a family
member, TV star, book character, teacher, cartoon character, famous
person), and then everyone takes turns to ask a question about them. Is
it a man or a woman? Are they young or old? Does she have black hair?
Does he wear glasses? Is she famous?

9. I Spy..

This
is a well-known game. It can be varied for young children by simply
asking for categories rather than insisting on letter names or sounds.
So the variations can include: "I spy with my little eye, something
beginning with" 'p' (letter name) or 'p' (sound name) or even, "that is
green". The last variation is a good way to involve very young children
and the categories can be very varied. "I spy with my little eye a thing
that ...." is black...or, a little thing that bites... or, a person who
likes coffee... or, a thing the car has to stop at etc.

10. Back to back words

People
think of words that begin the way the last word ends. You will need to
demonstrate this a few times and it isn't that suitable for children
under 6 years. It might go like this: pot, tree, egg, goat, top, pot,
turtle, elf, fog, goldfish. You can make the game harder for older
children if you like by asking for the words to fit specific single
categories like animals, names, places.

11. Who lives there?

This
is a great game. Wait till you stop at traffic lights or you are
travelling slowly enough to see a house long enough to remember some
details. People take turns adding details to describe who might live
there. This can be very creative or an accurate set of predictions. Each
player builds (plausibly) on the previous person's clues. For example,
first person says, "a mother lives there with her three children". The
next person says, "the children are aged 3, 7 and 16". The next person
says, "their names are, Sue, Pickle and Wobble.". The next says, "Wobble
is named after his Dad (Bobble) who is on a round the world yacht trip"
etc. When people run out of ideas you start again. You could vary this
by choosing a car. The first person might say, "That car has a family of
three children and their parents heading for the seaside".

12. Twenty questions

This
starts with someone choosing an object, person, place, country etc that
others have to identify. The others in the car have a chance to ask
questions (maximum of 20 for each thing chosen). The questions are
answered with a 'yes' or a 'no'. When someone thinks they know it they
can guess. You can score this different ways (or not all). The person
whose word is not guessed can score points as can the person who guesses
correctly.

13. Memory game

There
are many memory games, but a common one involves thinking of things
that are in the car (or the boot/trunk), an imaginary backpack,
suitcase, the kitchen at home, the beach where you'll visit. The people
in the car add an item to a list and the next person must repeat
previous details and add their own. People are eliminated when they
forget an item. So it could start like this: "In the car we have a
radio", to which someone says, "in the car we have a radio and a
steering wheel", which could become "in the car we have a radio and a
steering wheel, plus a pesky sister.....". A parent might write them
down as you progress to avoid disputes.

14. Never-ending story

This
game has two main forms, a single word version and a sentence version.
In the word version people in the car take turns adding to a story one
word at a time. It might go like this: "It", "was", "the", "first",
"day", "of", "the", "monster's", "summer", "camp"....and so on. The
members of the game try to make it impossible to add to the story
because the last word is pretty much the last word.

The sentence version is slightly more complex but just as much fun.

15. Word association

This
game is a bit trickier but can be handled by children 6+. Someone
starts with a word and the next person has to add a word that has an
association. Using just nouns and verbs is easiest. The game ends when a
word is repeated or someone is stuck. You can have winners and losers
if you want but it isn't necessary. Here's how it might go. "Dogs",
"bark", "bones", "kennel", "growl", "fleas", "wag", "tail", "scratch"
etc.16. Who am I?The
first player thinks of the name of someone who everyone will know then
gives a clue about their identity, for example, Big Bird, a relative, a
cartoon character etc. The people in the car then take turns trying to
guess who it is. If they get it then they have a turn at choosing the
identity. For example, if the player chose 'Bob the Builder' they might
start like this: "I fix things".17. Oh no!This
is a great idea for 3-4 people in a car. Someone starts a story with
the words "Oh no!" followed by a simple statement. They might say, "Oh
no! There's a spider in my pocket." People then take it in turns to add
to the story using "but" as their first word to turn a serious
circumstance into a not so serious one, and vice versa. They might add,
"But it is only plastic". To which someone might say, "but it has
dynamite in it". This continues until the players get sick of it or
until everyone agrees that an appropriate ending has been found.

18. Special choices

This
game requires people to choose between two options and give their
reasons. Someone has to come up with the choice. For example, "If I had
to choose between snakes or caterpillars" might receive the responses"
"I'd choose caterpillars because I'm a robin", or "I'd choose a snake to
surprise my teacher" and so on.

Above: Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

19. Twenty-Five

The
first person chooses a letter or sound at random. Each person then
needs to write down (or say) 25 things inside or outside the car that
begin with the letter. The game ends either by at the end of set time
(say 3 minutes) and the points are tallied. You can score many ways,
such as 1 point for every correct word or 1 for each word and 3-5 for
each unique word.

20. Teapot

This
game starts with one player picking a verb (action/doing word). The
other players in the car then have to ask questions about the verb, but
they replace it with the word "teapot." For example, if the word is
"swim", the first question asked might be, "Do cars teapot?" Of the
course the answer is "No." Players keep asking questions until someone
guesses the verb.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Aboriginal** Australians were the original inhabitants of the continent we know
today as Australia. They include Aboriginal Australians and Torres
Strait Islanders. Together they make up 2.5% of Australia's population
today. It is believed that they are amongst the oldest races on earth
with estimates suggesting that they first arrived on this continent
between 40,000 and 125,000 years ago. They are an ancient people with a
rich and unique culture. There is enormous diversity across the many
nations and clans, with an estimated 250-300 spoken languages with 600
dialects. Sadly fewer than 200 of these languages remain and most are in
danger of being lost. Like many non-Aboriginal Australians I see the
preservation of Aboriginal languages and their stories as of critical
importance. Recently, while travelling in Central Australia this was
brought into sharp focus for me.

* This is a revised version of an earlier post
** Please note that there is debate in Australia about reference to the first inhabitants of our great land. For some time we have referred to 'Indigenous Australians'. This name slowly replaced 'Aboriginal Australians' several decades ago due to the views of some Aboriginal people. Many are returning to the use of 'Aboriginal' today instead of 'Indigenous' because it recognises that this proud people of many 'countries' were the first inhabitants of this great land. When I use the name 'Aboriginal' I am referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people who were the first inhabitants of what we now call Australia.

An encounter with the 'The Three Caterpillars'

Mparntwe or Alice Springs is home to the Arrernte
people, Aboriginal Australians who have called this beautiful place
home for at least 45,000 years. It is at the geographical centre of
Australia. The photo opposite is of a place called 'Emily Gap'
that I visited in July while exploring Central Australia. At this place
you will find Aboriginal rock art that tells the story of how three
caterpillars named Yeperenye, Ntyarlke and Utnerrengatye created the MacDonnell Ranges.

The
Arrernte people, believe the ranges were formed by giant caterpillars
that entered this world through one of the gaps in the escarpment of the
area. In traditional stories the caterpillar ancestors, Yeperenye,
Utnerrengatye and Ntyarlke are the major creation forces of the Alice
Springs area. These stories tell how they arrived from all directions,
first stopping at Mparntwe, a particularly sacred site in Alice Springs,
where they battled with the Irlperenye (green stink bug).

'Three Caterpillars' - Emily Gap

The Caterpillars fled when the Irlperenye (stink bug)
started to kill them. The ranges around Alice Springs are the seen as
the remains of the many caterpillars. The gaps in the ranges like Emily
Gap indicate where the stink bugs tore the heads from the bodies of the
caterpillars. The rock formations around the area are and the few
surviving Yeperenye went on to sculpt the rivers and trees along the
tops of the ranges.

'The Three Caterpillars' were
painted on the cliff face at some point in time. The dark red and light
orange stripes were created by red ochre and white lime blended with
animals fats and applied to the rock surface.

Aboriginal Dreamtime
stories are associated with specific Aboriginal clans and nations and
their lands (countries). These stories are passed on to younger generations by
elders and storytellers. They have survived for thousands of years, but
the loss of traditional languages and the separation of many Aboriginal
people from their traditional land is a threat to their survival. While
some of these stories are secret, or are seen as of such a sacred
nature that they are only told by specific people to certain people
(e.g. told by men to men, or by women to women), in the last 40 years
many Aboriginal Dreamtime stories have been shared through children's
books.

As a non-Aboriginal Australian (I should add that I might well have at least one Aboriginal ancestor), I love these
stories and would like to see more of them written down by the people
who own them for others to enjoy. Thankfully, many
are being recorded but just as many aren't. For example, to date I
haven't come across a written version of 'The Three Caterpillars' that I
learned of when exploring Alice Springs.

Some of my favourite Aboriginal Picture Books

Some
of my favourite Aboriginal Dreamtime stories have been passed down to
all Australian children through the storytelling and wonderful art of
Dick Roughsey
(1924-1985) or Goobalathaldin to use his tribal name. He was from the
island of Langu-narnji in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern
Australia. His first picture book 'The Giant Devil Dingo'
received wide acclaim for the richness of the storytelling, the
distinctiveness of his painted illustrations, with their vibrant
colours, fascinating detail, and the integration of art and word. It
tells of Old Eelgin, the grasshopper woman who was evil and had taught
her giant dingo Gaiya to kill men for food. But one day Gaiya meets his
match in the Chooku-Chooku (butcher-bird) brothers.

Another of my favourite works by Roughsey is 'The Rainbow Serpent' first published in 1975 and still available. It won the Children's Book Council of Australia
award for best picture book in 1976. Goorialla (the Rainbow Serpent)
travelled across Australia to find his tribe. As he travelled his tracks
formed the mountains, the creeks, lagoons and rivers. The Bil-bil
brothers plot to kill him. When Goorialla's anger is spent and he
disappears into the sea the world is changed.

Dick Roughsey and Percy Trezise
(1923-2005) formed a strong partnership to produce many wonderful books
together. While Trezise was not Aboriginal he became Roughsey's brother
in a traditional Aboriginal ceremony and was given the name 'Warrenby'.
Roughsey lived with his wife and their six children on Mornington
Island, but often spent half the year on the North Queensland mainland.
He and Percy Trezise discovered and studied the art of Aboriginal cave
galleries in the Laura region of Cape York. The Quinkin gallery
inspired the award-winning books 'The Quinkins' and 'Turramulli' the
'Giant Quinkin'.

'The Quinkins' is a wonderful story that tells of the Yalanji tribe of Cape York
and their encounters with the Quinkins, spirit people of the land with
two tribes: Imjim and the Timara. Imjim were small fat-bellied fellows
who stole children while Timara were funny and whimsical spirits who
like to play tricks. They were tall and very thin and lived in the
cracks of the rocks, and they didn't like the Imjim. This is the story
of two children, Boonbalbee and Leealin. This book was an IBBY Honour
book in 1980, and was the Children's Book Council Book of Australia
Picture Book of the Year in 1979. As I travelled through northern
Australia and looked at the crevices in the rocks the echoes of this
story made me think, "could these be Quinkin rocks?"

There are so many of their titles that I love and have enjoyed sharing with children. These include 'The Cave Painters'
by Percy Trezise (1988) which tells of the experiences of two Bullanji
children Nonda and Mayli as they travel to visit their mother's people,
the Yalanji who live in 'Quinkin Country'. 'The Magic Firesticks'
(Trezise & Roughsey) is another story of the Yalanji people in
Cape York and tells how the people discovered the way to light fires,
not simply sustain fires once they were alight. After monsoonal fires
quenched all their fires two young men (Bandicoot and Curlew) travel to a
far off Fire Mountain where it was said Didmunja (a wise man) had magic
sticks which could produce fire when you wanted it.

'Banana Bird and the Snake Man'
(Trezise & Roughsey) tells of a time when people who were later
to become birds, animals, plants and reptiles were still in human form.
The snake men of Cape York were cannibals who would kill people and
hang them in trees to be collected later when they were hungry. This
story tells of the triumph of Coucal the brother of Banana Bird man who
avenges his brother's death and destroys the Snake men.

'What made Tiddalik Laugh' has been produced in various versions of varied authenticity. It is based on the 'Cylorana platycephala'
(or Water-holding Frog) that swells as it swallows water. It is
sometimes referred to as 'Molok' as well as 'Tiddalik'. The version I
first read was Joanna Troughton's
beautifully (and amusingly) illustrated version, although this might
not be the most authentic traditional version of the story. Tiddalik
woke up one morning with an unquenchable thirst. He began to drink all
the fresh water he could find till he was satisfied and every creek and
billabong was dry. All the creatures and plant life began to die, so the
other animals decided to do something about it. But how could they get
the water back? Wombat had the answer, make him laugh? But how? The
amusing solution involved Platypus in Troughton's version of the story.
The story is said to have originated in South Gippsland Victoria but is
common along the Eastern seaboard of Australia, so this is unclear. The
photo of this rock (opposite) known as Tiddalik rock is located near Wollombi in NSW.

'Enora and the Black Crane', by Arone Raymond Meeks
is another fine example of a traditional story being turned into a
picture book. Arone Meeks is a member of the Kokoimudji tribe from the
Laura area of far North Queensland. This story tells of Enora and how
his killing of a crane led to birds acquiring their colours and him
becoming the black crane. Winner of Australian IBBY Award for Children's Literature (1994), CBCA picture book of the year (1992) and UNICEF Ezra Jack Keats
International Award Silver medal (1992). Arone Meeks also illustrated
Catherine Berndt's wonderful book 'Pheasant and Kingfisher' (1987) that
was shortlisted by the CBCA in 1988 and won the Crichton Award for Meeks
in the same year.

A more recent book which I love is the 'Papunya School Book of Country and History'
(2001). This isn't really a Dreamtime story, it is the story of the
Anagu people of Central Australia. It offers a balanced telling of the
people, their place, their culture and history. It does a good job in
speaking of some of the difficult issues arising from the impact of
white settlers. It is a wonderful collaboration between well-known
non-Aboriginal advocate Nadia Wheatley and Aboriginal writers,
storytellers and artists from the staff and students of Papunya School.

Another more recent community collaboration is 'Our World: Bardi Jaawi: Life At Ardiyooloon'
(2011) by One Arm Point Remote Community School. Ardiyooloon is home
to the Bardi-Jaawi people and sits at the end of a red dirt road at
the top of the Dampier Peninsula, 200km north of Broome in the
north-west of Western Australia. 'Our World: Bardi-Jaawi Life at
Ardiyooloon' takes readers inside the lives of the children of a remote Aboriginal community; lives that are very different to those
experienced by most Australians. Worthy Honour book in the CBCA awards
for 2011 in the 'Eve Pownall Award' for Information Books.

Yet another wonderful collaborative book is 'Playground' (2011) compiled by Nadia Wheatley
with illustrations and design by Ken Searle, has been short-listed for
the 2011 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Awards. This is an
unusual book isn't quite a graphic novel, but then again, it isn't
simply a reference book. Drawing on the stories of 80 Aboriginal
Australian Elders, 20 Aboriginal secondary students and with Aboriginal
Historian Dr Jackie Huggins as adviser and critical friend, Nadia
Wheatley has created a unique collaborative work. The book offers a
wonderful insight into experiences of childhood for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people from 1900 to the present.

With
stunning photographs and illustrations, it takes us into the daily
life of Aboriginal children (past and present) who are connected with
their land from birth. The stories and drawings help the reader to
understand Aboriginal life in all its facets - learning, playing,
understanding and respecting the earth, the first days of life,
relationships in families, what 'home' was, languages, daily food
gathering and hunting, the place of song, dance, art and ceremony.
With the arrival of European people there have been adaptations, but Aboriginal children remain embedded in their culture. Daily life is
different, but Aboriginal children are still learning from country and
community. This book would be a good introduction for readers who want
to know more about Aboriginal people not simply read their stories.

Some other great resources

Based on an Aboriginal Dreamtime story of Waatji Pulyeri (the Blue Wren)

In
Central Australia the Aboriginal people are called the Anangu. Within
this group there are many different language groups including the
Pintupi, Warlpiri, Anmatyerre, Pitjantjatjara and Arrente. All Aboriginal Australians come from different 'Ngurra' (homelands or
traditional countries) and within their rich cultural traditions have
stories, drawings, dances other cultural practices that have been passed
down through the generations for millennia. There has been a wonderful
balance and 'bond' between people and their land. They see their
ancestors as their teachers and for thousands of years they have taught
their children the knowledge of ancestors and a history seen within the
very rocks, water courses, hills, fauna and flora of their place. This
has been passed down often (but not exclusively) through story. Often
these stories are told in the context of place and have been oral, but
in the last century some of these stories have been written down so that
they can enrich all people, even if perhaps not understanding their
full significance.

There is a deep sadness that many
non-Aboriginal Australians feel that there has been some loss of
language and stories of these unique people. It was with a mixture of
joy and sadness that I caught glimpses of the rich connection between
Indigenous people and their land while I travelled across Central
Australia. The joy comes from the richness I could see in this
connection, but the sadness is that for many Aboriginal Australians this
connection is made more difficult by their dislocation from traditional
lands. My hope is that more Aboriginal stories will be captured in
written and spoken forms.

You might also find my review of 'Welcome to My Country' by Laklak
Burarrwanga, Ritjilili Ganambarr, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs,
Banbapuy Ganambarr, Djawundil Maymuru, Sarah Wright, Sandie
Suchet-Pearson and Kate Lloyd. The book is a collaboration between three
academics and six Aboriginal women from Bawaka and Yirrkala. It is a
publication that literally welcomes you to the Country of Laklak Burarrwanga in Arhhem Land Northern Australia.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Much has been said about 'Transformational Teaching' and 'Transformational Learning' in recent times. Is this just academic nonsense or is there some significance to the terms and the practices.

In the simplest possible terms Transformational Teaching (TT) is teaching that creates learning environments that change learners. It changes the way they approach tasks, the questions they ask of the tasks, their expectations for what they will learn from a task, and their expectations for its use and application. It in effect helps to change the way learners understand learning, co-learners, their teachers and themselves.

The opposite of Transformational teaching is 'Transactional Teaching'. This can be recognised by its characteristic transmission of knowledge from teacher to child and its focus on integrating knowledge of others largely as individual learners. Its major concern is what the learner knows and will learn.

While knowledge is important and there is a role for transactional approaches to developing it, there are other ways to learn. Transformational Teaching values knowledge too, but it is characterised much more by inquiry, discovery, firsthand experience, critical thinking and the use of varied communication and thinking skills, than simply knowledge transmission.

6 Key Steps to using Transformational Teaching.

Step 1 - Develop effective routines

What I mean by this is that a classroom that allows inquiry, experimentation, problem solving and lots of interaction needs to be VERY well organised. It is not synonymous with classroom chaos, although there will inevitably be a little more noise.

Step 2 - Organise classroom space & materials well

TT requires a room where materials are available, spaces are provided that permit interaction, additional access is given to computers and other key resources.

Step 3 - Establish clear expectations with students about what can and cannot occur

We need to establish some basic rules about sharing space, movement, sharing materials, how class members interact, time frames for task completion and so on. All must be clear and revisited regularly.

Step 4 - Implement routines for the sharing of ideas and discoveries

Classrooms where TT is practised need to be places where ideas are shared and celebrated. Audiences are very important to testing ideas, receiving feedback and learning from one another.

Step 5 - Place a high importance on quality outcomes and behaviour

Classrooms that are characterised by TT are places where standards are high. Near enough is not good enough, there must be accountability in terms of quality, task completion respect for others and so on.

This is the key to a vibrant engine room in any classroom. Classrooms where there is honesty, generosity and accurate feedback are places where members will take risks as learners. Ensure that these are present and part of you regular maintenance work as a teacher.

What do these classes do?

I'll probably say more about this in a future post but in general terms Transformational Teaching leads to classroom environments where you will see:

much greater interaction between students as well as much great interaction with the teacher;

much more group work (and these will vary based on topic, interest and expertise, not simply general ability;

the teacher leading from behind as much as from the front;

more celebration of work and achievements;

greater learner autonomy within clear boundaries;

regular demonstration, and expert resource people visiting;

increased use of multi-modal responses (shared use of images, words, drama, art etc);

Rich literacy experiences from the start!

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About Me

I am a Professor of Education at The University of Sydney, Australia. I have spent a large part of my adult life as a teacher, academic, researcher and senior university administrator. My interests are varied, including how children learn language and literacy, the nature and construction of meaning, curriculum, pedagogy, and adult learning.